Measuring device



Oct. 7, 1941. H. w. Russ 2,257,860

MEASURING DEVICE Filed June 1'7, 1939 Patented Oct. 7, 1941 MEASURING DEVICE Harley W. Russ,. Haverhill, Mass,, ,assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N.1J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 17, 1939, Serial No. 279,713

4 Claims.

This invention relates to measuring devicesand is illustrated herein as embodied in a devicefor taking measurements of a shoe as a basis for the design or selection of a heel appropriate for use on the shoe. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may have application in connection with the measurement of'any article, such as a last for example, having a heel seat portion the wedge angle and height of which is to be determined, and that the term shoe as employed herein is intended to comprehend any such article.

Devices having adjustable abutments adapted to engage the heel seat of a shoe at one or more points for making height and wedge angle measurements of the type referred to, are common; but the accuracy of such devices is unreliable because of the prevelance of local irregularitiesin the heel seat which may be engaged by the abovementioned abutments and hence will'result in an inaccurate measurement of these characteristics of the heel seat. I

Moreover, asto the heel height measurement it has been customary to measure theheight of the heel seat or heel above the plane of the tread at a point located to the rear of the forward edge of the heel seat by a certain fraction of the length of the heel seat, this point also being determined in other instances with reference to the plane of the breast surface. Thus, the location of this point lengthwise of the heel seat depends partly upon the style of the heel, that is, the presence or otherwise of a lip, and afiects the height measurement because of the inclination-of the heel seat. It is apparent, therefore, that the accurate measurement or determination of the height of the heel of any shoe, according to the usual or standard measurement referred to above, requires that the position of the point on the heel seat with reference to which the'height of the heel is measured be definitely known. While this point on an existing heel seat is either known or can easily be determined, its location is indefinite in the original design of a model or sample heel so long as its heel length and breast shape are undetermined.

The above-mentioned heel seat engaging abutments of prior devices of this type are also commonly mounted to pivot about an axis extending transversely of the shoe into a position corresponding to the wedge angle of the heel seat. It is obvious that the height adjustment of this abutment can be calibrated only withreference to the height of this axis to indicate the heel seat height correctly regardless of its wedge angle since the height of any other point on the'abutment varies with its movement about this axis even though the axis, itself is fixed. Hence, the wedge angle of the heel seat gives rise to a further inaccuracy in the measurement of its height because without knowing exactly the position of the point on the heel seat with reference to which the heel height is to be measured, a shoe cannot be placed on the abutment so that regardless oi its wedge angle any error in'the measurement of its heel is avoided. For convenience in designing a heel to fit a given shoe it is desirable, without determining the heel seat length or breast shape, firstto determine its height and wedgeangle so that the shoe treads properly and, accordingly, it is therefore desirable to make a heel height measurement which is unaffected by the wedge angle or style, of the heel and to make it with reference to a point the location of which can be directly established at the beginning of the design of the heel regardless of its style.

7 In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide an easily operated and direct reading device for measuring the height and wedge angle of the heel seat of ashoe theatcllracy of which is unaffected by local irregularities in theheelseat, and adapted also for making a heel seat height measurement which is equally applicable to. any heel regardless, of its style whichmay-be used on' the shoe.

This object, as to its first aspect, is attained in the illustrated device by the provisionof a platform and a heel seat engaging member having a rim shaped like and arranged to extend continuously from one heel breast corner to the other about the margin of the heel seat of a shoe to be measured, the. platform and member being relatively movable to permit the rim of the member to be brought into engagement with the heel seat while the bottom of the forepart of the shoe rests in its normal tread relation on the platform. The height and inclination of the member relatively to the platform as thus positioned with reference to a substantial length of theheel seat of the shoe represent a true height and wedge angle respectively of the heel seat.

As herein illustrated, the height and wedge angle of the heel seat are indicated directly by measuring means associated with the heel seat engaging member, this means being operated in response to the movement which is necessary to bring the member into complete engagement with the heel seat.

The object of the invention as to its second aspect is attained by arranging the measuring means to indicate the height of the heel seat at its rearmost point, the heel seat engaging member being mounted, in accordance with a feature of the invention, to swing into engagement with the shoe about a transverse axis intersecting the rearmost point of the heel seat whereby the wedge angle adjustment of the member does not affect the indicated height measurement of the heel seat. It is now apparent that the heel height as determined with reference to the rearmost point of a heel seat or heel, in accordance with the present invention, is one which may be definitely determined as to any shoe regardless of the style of the heel which it is to have without requiring any preliminary measurement.

A heel blank may now be designed or made in accordance with the wedge angle and height measurements referred to above with assurance that the measured shoe fitted with such a heel will tread properly. Thereafter the heel blank may be shaped as to its heel seat length and breast and side surfaces in conformity to requirements of style. The final shape of the heel now being determined, it may be measured for height in the usual way preliminary to the production of other heels of the same style but of different sizes the height of which will be the same according to this latter usual measurement for any series of heels of the same style.

These and other features of the invention, including Various novel features of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly, described with reference to the accompanying drawing and thereafter will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of an illustrative device embodying the invention, parts of which have been broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, the section being taken along the line II II in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the heel seat engaging member.

The device comprises a frame I having a platform l2 extending horizontally from one side thereof and on which the bottom of the forepart of a shoe is placed, the heel seat of the shoe being supported by a heel seat engaging member I4, which is mounted for heightwise and angular movement with respect to the platform l2 as will be described below. With the rims or marginal portions of the heel seat and member l4 seated on each other, the member is moved heightwise until the forepart of the shoe treads properly on the platform l2 as indicated in Fig. 1, the height and wedge angle of its heel seat then being indicated by the height and inclination of the 7 member M with respect to theplatform l2.

The member I4 is detachably secured by dowels I6 to a support IS on which the dowels are fixed, the support l8 being pivotally mounted on a screw 20 which is threaded in a slide 22 mounted for vertical adjustment in a T slot in the frame H). A plate 24 is arranged to overlie and engage the left-hand edge of the slide 22 so as to provide sufficient friction to hold the slide in adjusted position, the plate being secured to the frame by the screws 26. Adjustment of the slide 22 is made by turning a knob 28 fixed to a shaft 38 rotatably mounted on the frame It) and carrying a gear 32 which engages a rack 34 formed in the left-hand edge of the slide 22.

The central portion of the member I4 is recessed as at 36 (Fig. 3) to provide a continuous marginal heel seat engaging rim 38 which is shaped to fit the corresponding marginal area of the heel seat to be measured. The periphery of the rim is thus "adapted to coincide with the entire periphery of the heel seat when the member and shoe are in complete engagement with each other. It is to be understood that shoes having heel seats of different shapes will require the use of correspondingly differently shaped members l4 but that the height of such members will be the same in all cases. Thus, regardless of the size or type of shoe being measured, the adjusted height of the slide 22 indicates the height of the heel seat being measured. The height of the heel seat as measured by the illustrated device is the perpendicular distance of the rearmost point on the periphery of the heel seat (and of the rim 38) above the plane of the platform l2, this dimension being indicated for any adjustment of the slide 22 by the reading taken from a scale 4|], fixed to the frame l0, opposite to a pointer 42 formed on a bar 44 which is fixed to the slide 22. Each of the members l4 adapted for use in the illustrated device is positioned on the support [8 so that the rearmost point of its rim 38 is disposed along the same line, this line being a tangent to the rim and being also the axis of the screw 20 about which the support l8 rotates so that this heel height measurement is unaffected by such angular movement of the member [4 about the screw 20 as is necessary to permit the member to engage the heel seat completely regardless of the wedge angle of the shoe. The inclination of the member as thus positioned relatively to the platform l2 represents the Wedge angle of the shoe, this angle being indicated by a protractor comprising an arm 46 formed integrally with the support l8 and a scale 48 calibrated in degrees and carried by the slide 22. The support [8 is normally locked to the slide 22 by the bolt 20 which has a lefthand thread, the head of the bolt being constituted by an arm 50 which is normally urged in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 52 supported at its upper end by the bar 44.

Preferably, the distribution of the weights of the member l4, support l8 and the arm 46 is such that the member l4 tends to swing in a clockwise direction toward a horizontal position. At the beginning of a measuring operation the arm 50 is swung by any suitable means, such as a treadle rod 54, against the force of the spring 52 to unlock the support l8 from the slide 22 thereby permitting the member l4 to swing clockwise into a position so nearly horizontal that the heel seat of a shoe to be measured first engages the forward edge of the member [4 and then causes it to be swung downwardly about the pivot 20 until the rim of the member completely engages the margin of the heel seat. The height of the support I8 is then adjusted to bring the forepart into the proper tread relation to the platform l2, the member l4 during this time being swung in response to the movement of the shoe so as to maintain complete contact between the rim of the member and the heel seat of the shoe. Upon the release of the arm 50 the screw 20 is turned under the influence of the spring 52 to lock the support I8 in adjusted position on the slide 22. The reading of the scale 48 indicated by the arm 46 then indicates the wedge angle of the heel seat and similarly the reading of the scale indicated by the pointer 42 indicates the height of the heel seat in terms of the height dimension referred to above.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A measuring device comprising a platform adapted to support the bottom of the forepart of an article having a heel seat the wedge angle of which is to be measured, a heel seat engaging member adapted to be positioned angularly with respect to said platform in accordance with the wedge angle of the heel seat when said member and the heel seat are seated on each other, said member and platform being mounted for relative movement heightwise thereof, said member also being mounted to swing about an axis tangent to the periphery of the heel seat at its rearmost point and so constructed as to swing forward when not engaged with the heel seat but swingable in a reverse direction when the heel seat and said member are being seated on each other, and means for measuring the inclination of said member and its height at said axis with respect to said platform whereby the wedge angle of the heel seat and its height at its rearmost point are determined.

2. A measuring device comprising a platform adapted to support the bottom of the forepart of an article having a heel seat the wedge angle and height of which is to be measured, a heel seat engaging member adapted to swing freely into contact with the heel seat in response to pressure of the heel seat against said member, a support for said member mounted for movement heightwise with respect to said platform, said member being mounted to swing on said support about an axis tangent to the periphery of the heel seat at its rearmost point when the heel seat and member are seated on each other, and means for measuring the height of the rearmost point on the heel seat above said platform and the angle between the heel seat and said platform.

3. A measuring device comprising a platform adapted to support the bottom of the forepart of an article having a heel seat the height and wedge angle of which is to be measured, a member having a heel seat engaging surface the edge of which is curved in conformity to the peripheral shape of the heel seat, said surface being shaped so as to engage continuously the marginal portion of the heel seat extending about its rear end from one end of the heel breast line to the other, a support for said member mounted for movement heightwise with respect to said platform thereby to cause the forepart of the article to have the desired tread relation to said platform, said member being mounted to swing on said support about an axis tangent to said edge at its rearmost point, and means operated in response to the h-eightwise movement of said support and the swinging movement of said member for indicating the height of said axis above said platform, and the angular relation between said member and said platform whereby the heel height of the article at the rear end of its heel seat and its wedge angle, respectively, are measured.

4. A measuring device comprising a platform adapted to support the bottom of the forepart of an article having a heel seat the wedge angle of which is to be measured, a heel seat engaging member having a continuous rim shaped to fit throughout the marginal portion of the heel seat, a support for said member mounted for movement heightwise of said platform to bring the rearmost point of said rim and heel seat into engagement with each other, said member being mounted to swing freely in opposite directions on said support about an axis tangent to said rim at its rearmost point to cause the heel seat and rim to be completely seated on each other in response to the pressure of the heel seat against said member, and means for measuring the inclination of said rim and its height at said point with respect to said platform whereby the required wedge angle and height of a heel for the article is determined.

HARLEY W. RUSS. 

